Lubricator for valve mechanisms



w. M. COPELAND.

LUBRICATOR FOR VALVE MECHANISMSI APPLICATION mm on. 19. I920.

1,414,934. Patented May 2,1922.

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WALTER 1VIARTIN COPELAND, OF GAIVIBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUBRICATOR FOR VALVE MECHANISMS.

Application filed October 19, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER M. COPELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Lubricator for Valve Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for lubrieating the valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, particularly of the valve-in-head type.

An object of the invention is to provide lubricating means which will dispense oil upon the rocker arms, ocker shaft, lift rods, valve stems, and valve springs of an internal combustion engine.

Other objects are to provide a means which will supply lubricant to all parts of the valve mechanism during the operation of the engine, thus securing maximum efliciency from the engine by immediate and easy response from the valve mechanism, preventing unnecessary wear of the parts of the mechanism, eliminating noise, and reducing the labor of oiling the mechanism to a minimum.

The present invention provides pads which, by capillary action, soak up a quantity of lubricating oil and which are engaged by the rocker arms in their movement so as to cause squeezing of the oil out of the pads to effect lubrication of all the moving parts. The pad may be fed from a single oil cup or reservoir, or from a plurality of such reservoirs, but preferably is enclosed within the cover for the cylinder head.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of the upper part of the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, showing the invention in position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 1, and showing only the parts Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

Serial No. 417,925.

comprehended between the cover and the cylinder head.

Fig. 3 isan underneath plan view of the cover showing the disposition of the pads.

The numeral 4: designates an engine cylinder whose construction is immaterial to the present invention. Upon the cylinder head a cover 5 is secured. An exhaust space 6 is shown in Fig. 1, and a valve 7 alternately closes and opens said exhaust space to the cylinder during the operation of the engine. This valve has a stem 8 which extends upwardly through the head of the cylinder for engagement with one end of a rocker arm 13 mounted on the rocker shaft 12. The other end of the rocker arm is lifted by a rod l-l in turn actuated by a cam shaft (not shown) in the well known manner.

In the present disclosure, but two cylinders are shown, each cylinder being indicated as having two valves, one an inlet valve and the other an exhaust valve. This showing is for the sake of simplicity. It will be understood that mostinternal combustion motors in use employ at least four cylinders and that the present invention is applicable to an engine having any number of cylinders and valves.

Secured to the under side of the cover 5 is a plurality of pads, preferably of felt or similar substance, forming what might be termed a gridiron. One pad 15 extends longitudinally immediately above the upper ends of the valve stems 8. A second pad extends parallel to the first but immediately above the upper ends of the rocker arm lifting rods 14:. At intervals the transverse pads 17 are provided, said intervals correspoiuling with the spacing between adjacent valve stems and lift rods. The ends of the felt pads 17 are doubled over as indicated at 20, such doubled ends surrounding the felt feeder strips 15 and 16. Preferably the ends of the feeder strips are also doubled as best seen in Fig. 2. Intermediate the doubled ends a wick 27 may be provided having its intermediate portion adjacent the corresponding portion of either strip 15, 16. The ends of the wick 27 extend downwardly into the wells or reservoirs 11 provided in the cylinder head.

Through each well 11, two valve stems 8 extend, passing upwardly through hubs or collars 9 providing means for holding the coil springs 10. These coil springs, at their upper ends, engage with the corresponding ends of the valve stems so as to give to the valves a normal tendency to be seated. The cover 5 may have oil holes bored thereinat suitable intervals so that lubricant may be introduced into the reservoirs without going to the trouble of removing the cover. Any such lubricant will be soaked up by the wicks 27 and conducted by capillary action to all parts of the absorbent strips or pads.

Each transversely extending strip 17 has an intermediate loop formed by the intermediate and downwardly extending loop 18 located in such position that the hub portion of the rocker arm 13 is in engagement with said loop. This hub portion will be provided with an oil hole19 which will be directly beneath the loop when the rocker arm is in neutral or intermediate position.

If the motor employed has no convenient reservoir such as those indicated at 11, the felt strips may be supplied withlubricant by means of a wick 22 passing through a wick holder 21 and outside of the cover 5. A reservoir comprising a bottom cylindrical section 24, an upper like section 25, a cover 26 and a glass wall 28 is mounted on the outside of cover 5 with the wick holder 21 extending through the part 25. By this latter arrangement, the amount of lubricant left in the reservoir may be seen by merely lifting the hood of the automobile. It will be understood that if it is desired, the reservoir outside of the cover may be employed in. conjunction with the reservoirs provided in the cylinder head. In such case, any excesslubricant squeezed out of the wicks or pads by the movement of the rocker arms will find its way down into the reservoirs only to be taken up again by the wicks 27, thuspreventing any waste.

It will be readily understood that in the operation of the engine and constant lifting and closing of the valves, the rocker arms will squeeze a little oil at each end during each oscillation, and the oil at one end will lubricate the rocker arm where it contacts with the lift rod and will find its way down through the bore or bearing for the lift rod, thus lubricating the latter. The oil squeezed from the wick at the other end of the rocker arm will aid in reducing the noise of the contact of the rocker arm with the valve stem to'a minimum. Such oil will also pass down the valve stem and lubricate the stem in its sliding movements, besides maintaining the valve springs in a well oiled condi tion. The hub of each rocker arm is also oiled by reason of the contact of the hub with the loop 18.

Among the advantages of the invention may be recited the fact that the valves are prevented from slow, sticky or partial action, since theirstems or guides can never become dry or gummy, due" to the heat of the engine. The valves are assured a perfect seating because the stems are prevented from wearing down, which would cause sideplay. Rocker arms are madepractically noiseless in operation and wear is largely eliminated; thus making-it unnecessary to frequently adjust or replace parts of the mechanism. The push rods are prevented from wearing and the oil which flows down said push rods goes to the cam rod where the cams themselves are protectedfrom undue wear.

What is claimed is 1. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines having rocker arms, comprising a strip or pad secured to the under side of the cover of said engine soas to be engageable by an end of each rocker arm, and means for feeding lubricant to said pad.

2. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines having rocker arms, comprising a strip or pad.

head, and wells or reservoirs provided in the cylinder head, comprising a pad or strip secured to the under side of the cover of said engine so as to be engaged by an end of each rocker-arm, and means leading from the wells to the pad for supplying the pad with lubricant by capillary action.

4:. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, said valvemechanisms including a plurality of rocker. arms mounted on a rocker shaft comprising apad orstrip secured to the under side of the cover of said engine so as to be engaged by an endof each rocker arm as "well as by the hub portion thereof, and means for feeding lubricant to said pad.

5. Lubricating means for the valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, said mechanisms including lift rods, rocker arms, valve stems andsprings, comprising a pad or strip securedbeneath the cover of the engine in position to be engaged by each end of each rocker arm whereby drops of lubricant are squeezed out of said pad With each oscillation of i the rocker: arms wvith consequent lubrication of the lift rods, valve stemsand spring and. means for feeding lubricanttosaid pad.

6. In combination with. an internal combustion engine of the valve-in-head type, means for-lubricating the valve mechanism thereof. comprising apad carried upon the under side ofthe cover of the engine in. position to be engaged. by the rocker armsqof the valve mechanism upon oscillation of said rocker arms, wicks connected to said pads and forming a part thereof, lubricant reservoirs provided in the cylinder head, said Wicks having their lower ends received Within said reservoirs, and means in the cover whereby additional supplies of lubricant may be introduced into each reservoir.

'7. In combination with an internal combustion engine of the valve-in-head type and having a cover for the valve mechanism, of a Wick holder. carried by said cover, a wick Within the Wick holder, a lubricant reservoir mounted on the cover and receiving the outer end of the Wick holder and \vick, the inner end of said Wick being Within the cover, and a pad or strip secured to the under side of said cover in position to be engaged by one end of each rocker arm upon oscillation of the latter.

8. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, comprising a pad secured to the under side of the cover of said engine, said pad comprising a pair of longitudinally extending strips substantially parallel to each other and located above the ends of the rocker arms of the valve mechanism, and a plurality of transversely extending strips secured to the longitudinal strips, there being as many of the transverse strips as there are rocker arms of the engine, each transverse strip being doubled at each end so as to provide pads against which the corresponding ends of the rocker arms may press during their oscillation.

9. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, comprising a pad secured to the under side of the cover of said engine, said pad comprising a pair of longitudinally extending strips substantially parallel to each other and located above the ends of the rocker arms of the valve mechanism, and a plurality of the ends of the longitudinal strips also being doubled.

10. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustiton engines, comprising a pad secured to the under side of the cover of said engine, said pad comprising a pair of longitudinally extending strips substantially parallel to each other and located above the ends of the rocker arms of the valve mechanisnr, and a plurality of transversely extending strips secured to the longitudinal strips, there being as many of the transverse strips as there are rocker arms of the engine, each transverse strip being doubled at each end so as to provide pads against which the corresponding ends of the rocker arms may press during their oscillation, each transverse strip having a loop intermediate its ends and arranged immediately above the hub portion of each rocker arm so as to be engaged by said portion, the ends of the longitudinal strips also being doubled, and a \vick secured to the longitudinally extending strips intermediate said doubled ends with the Wick ends depending from said strips.

11. Lubricating means for valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines, comprising a pad secured to the under side of the cover of said engine, said pad comprising longitudinally extending strips substantially parallel to each other and located above the ends of the rocker arms of the valve mechanism, and a plurality of transversely extending strips secured to the longitudinal strips, there being as many of the transverse strips as there are rocker arms of the engine, each transverse strip providing pads against which portions of the rocker arms may press during their oscillation.

12. Lubricating means for the valve mechanisms of internal combustion engines having oscillatory rocker arms, comprising a Well or reservoir for lubricant located in a fixed part of the engine, a pad or strip secured to a fixed part of the engine in a position to be engaged by the rocker arm as it is oscillated, and means leading from the Well to the pad or strip for supplying the pad with lubricant by capillary attraction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atfixed my signature.

XVALTER MARTIN COPELAND. 

